Nothing Simple
by Valyriar
Summary: Years after she left, Ichinose Hikari returns to Kyoto, her city of origins. She is an enigma to most, but what exactly does she mean to a certain red-headed captain of the basketball team at Rakuzan, a high school she has recently enrolled in? And why does he keep saying that she should know him? OC/Akashi pairing. Rated M for some fluff&violence later on.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello everyone, so since Akashi is my favourite character from KnB, I have decided to have a go at fanfiction and created this story. I will try and update once every 1-2 weeks, if any of you will want to read it, that is :)  
Also, feel free to leave comments, reviews, constructive criticism or praise ( :D ), I would be delighted to hear it… and please, if you find any grammatical errors or discrepancies, let me know. I am not a native speaker, my native language is very different to English, so every hint, tip and advice is greatly appreciated :)  
I hope you'** **ll enjoy the story! :)  
V.**

Chapter 1: Yellow curtains

Wind was blowing ever so softly that morning. It was unusually cool for a third week of April, the boy thought. He took his everyday detour around the empty mansion on his way to school, thinking little of it as he did so – he has been using this way ever since he arrived in Kyoto. At first, he had hoped the high window over a balcony would be open, and music would play again, as it did so long ago. Now, it just became sort of a ritual he made for himself, acknowledging the fact that the window may, in truth, never open again, and the music would, most likely, never play. It was a fools´ notion in the first place to hope that the dim memory from his childhood would spring into life, he thought, half amused at his own naivety. This sort of wishful thinking doesn´t befit him, after all. So he set off in the direction of the mansion, wondering why he still keeps such a useless habit at all.  
He should have noticed the slight shift in the air that morning. Something was very different on this day indeed, and he came to realize it as he found his head jerking upwards, alerted by the soft sound of a piano coming from the direction of the mansion. He hurried over, and sure enough, the window was open. Transparent yellow curtains danced in the wind, almost in harmony with the classical piano piece that was now clearly audible in the cold air. A well-known composition from Schubert, he almost smiled to himself, Impromptu in G flat. With a different vibe to his step, he continued on his way to school.

Fingers of the girl playing the piano stopped dead in their tracks. She felt a slight tingling in the back of her head- a feeling she got every time somebody was watching her without her knowledge. She raised from the piano stool, and rushed to the balcony to look around, only to find the street below deserted. Even the park across the street seemed vacant at a glance. There was definitely nobody watching her from the outside of the mansion. Still uneasy, she closed the window and the piano, and walked out of the room, picking up her white and light-blue uniform along with a towel on her way to the bathroom.

"Ichinose-san, welcome to Rakuzan Academy. We are most pleased that a student of your quality has chosen our institution. I am sure you are well aware of the fact that we do not, unfortunately, have a music program here. However, we do focus on bringing out the best in our most talented students in all areas we possibly can, and with your parents already making necessary arrangements, I am pleased to inform you that we have prepared a study program especially tailored for you. It should give you plenty of time do develop your musical skills adequately, and you will have a new music room all ready for you to use. Some alterations to the regular schedule your class follows have been made, and in the file you are now holding in your hands is all the necessary information you need to know. Now. Before I let you join the other students, do you have any questions?" The headmaster adjusted a pair of square, turtle shell glasses on his nose, eyeing the girl in front of him expectantly. So far, she never once interrupted his monologue, just watched him calmly with her soft green eyes. "I do have a question, headmaster. Which subjects got left out of my schedule?" She spoke in a surprisingly modest tone. "English, of course, home economics, art, P.E. and part of your civic curriculum- those are all affected by the altered study plan we have approved for you specifically, Ichinose-san." The girl then surprised him by bowing low and hastily saying: "Headmaster! Please, let me attend P.E. and art classes!" The middle aged man was impressed. This girl seemed to be different than he expected her to be. If anything, she appeared to be bothered by all the special treatment her family had arranged for her. The headmaster smiled: "Ichinose-san, your curriculum was composed with your musical career in mind. You are a high school student now, so if you feel that attending classes outside your study plan won´t impede your piano practices, you are free to participate. I admit it is refreshing to see a student so interested in their education. I will talk to your parents, and the school board. In the meantime, I allow you to attend whichever additional classes you desire, on my responsibility."  
The smile on her face as she thanked him was radiant, almost blinding.

Hikari left the headmasters´ office, and took out her class schedule to check whether she happens to be late for anything on her first day already, or not. Luckily for her, first three hours of her time were meant to be spent on piano practice in her private music room…And school itself was starting in more than half an hour. After she penciled in P.E. and art, she set off to find her new piano, turning a corner into a corridor she believed led to the correct wing, still surprised how early she woke up this morning.  
Soon she found out that not consulting the plan first was not the smartest thing to do. Rakuzan was huge. Far larger than any school she attended in Europe, and since it was still fairly early in the morning, the hallways were eerily silent and completely empty. She sighed, resigned to trying to find her own way in the confusing maze of tall hallways and stylish classrooms, when she noticed the door of a nearby room standing slightly ajar. Whoever was in there didn´t bother to turn the lights on.  
Hikari hesitated, her hand halfway raised to the handle on the sliding door.  
 _Click._ A sharp, wooden sound. _Clack_. And one more. She listened attentively for a third one, which never came. Suddenly curious, she slid the door open.

Even though it was morning already, the room was still shadowy, with most of its´ window blinders pulled down, preventing the pale rays of April sun from entering. Another clicking sound drew Hikaris´ gaze to its´ origin, and her eyes widened. She didn´t recognize the boy sitting near the only non-blinded window in the pillar of cool morning sunlight. He was leaning over a shogi board, and created an image of odd serenity, concentrating on the game, which he apparently played against himself. His hair had a vibrant red color, and even though Hikari did not know him, he struck her as painfully familiar. Since there was no sign of him noticing her presence, it would be sensible to turn around and leave quietly. However, she found herself walking over to his table, pulling a chair to it, sitting across him and watching his game in silence.

"Ote, "he murmured after what seemed like an hour, and raised his head to look at her. Hikari returned his stare with calm determination in her own expression. She didn´t fail to notice that his eyes did not match in color. There were also other aspects about him that did not quite fit together. Those, too, caught her eye, and made her smile falter and her eyes sadden, so she decided to keep her observations to herself for now.

"Okaeri, Hikari," he said, still eyeing her with unnerving intensity. Hikari seemed unfazed by this, her expression unchanging except for one very slightly raised eyebrow. "I think a "good morning" would be a better greeting, now, wouldn´t it?"  
"Indeed it may seem so, though I prefer to emphasize the fact that you are back, Hikari. Will you not ask me how do I know your name? It must confuse you, since I don´t see you remembering mine." A tinge of amusement mixed with annoyance marked his answer, along with a soft chuckle.  
"I won´t ask, since you seem to be accustomed to knowing a lot," she replied.  
"Indeed I am." Another chuckle, followed by a malicious grin. And silence.  
"I´ve never met you before in my life," said Hikari softly, after a short while.  
More silence. Noticeably colder than the previous one.  
He rose from his chair, and walked around the table to stand in front of the girl, just one step too close to her. The menacing aura radiating off of him was almost visible.  
"Akashi Seijūrō. You _will_ remember me."  
She stood up as well. They were the exact same height. Akashis´ cold animosity seemed to just wash past Hikari, as no notion of anything but calm confidence seemed to reflect in her posture.  
She smiled. "I will remember you _now,_ Akashi-kun."  
She raised her palm, and, very swiftly, touched his cheek with just her fingertips. Then, before he could say anything else, Hikari walked past him and out of the room. 

After he packed his shogi set and left the classroom for his first lesson, other students already filled the corridors, and the tall girl was nowhere to be seen.

Morning classes went by without anything way out of the ordinary. The only noteworthy thing that happened was the arrival of their new classmate to Japanese history class right before lunch. Akashi watched her, along with everybody else, as she introduced herself, and was assigned a place in the back of the class, near the window.  
Hikari noticed the curious looks, and the whispers that arose as soon as she took her seat in the back of the room. Most of her new classmates seemed to be interested in her in a friendly way, at least, which was a relief, yet she still had a strong suspicion that lunch break would be the toughest part of the day yet.  
The second the bell rung, she saw just how correct she was.

"Ichinose-san, is it true that you lived in Europe for the past eight years?"  
"Yes, Fumiko-san, I-"  
"Ichinose-san, your hair is such a lovely color! Do you ever dye it?"  
"No, Katagawa-san, I don´t-"  
"Ichinose-san, you play the piano, right? Did you really win that many competitions? The teachers told us you were very good!"  
"I do play the piano, though I´m not su-"  
"Nee, Ichinose-san, we´re all going to karaoke after school, do you want to come? We´d all love to spend more time with you! We´d leave right after club activities, meet us in front of the school gate!"  
"Oh, thank you, Suzuki-kun, I really-"  
"Ichinose-san, does your family really have a mansion in every country of the world?"  
"What on Earth…?! N-no, how did this-"  
"Ichinose-san…" 

"I´m certain Hikari needs to at least eat her lunch in peace. Leave her." His voice barely above a whisper, Akashi joined the fray, and all questions stopped instantly. The girl smiled kindly at her classmates, and took out her packed lunch. "I´m really glad that you all want to get to know me. I´d love to go to the karaoke, thanks for the invite, but now, if you all can excuse me…" she trailed off, her eyes almost unwillingly shifting to her food. The little crowd dispersed, somewhat dissatisfied, but since nobody dared to oppose the read headed boy who looked as intimidating as ever, no questions were asked.

"Thanks," she gasped, and started to impatiently fumble with the knot on the napkin in which her bento box was hidden. Her hands trembled a little, and, up close in direct light, Akashi noticed a faint hue of purple under her eyes. He frowned.  
"Go home, Hikari."  
She didn´t interrupt her tough battle with the napkin knot to look up.

"Nonsense. It´s lunch, we still have two more classes, osoji and club activities. I´m not going home until after then," she replied in her irritatingly composed tone.

"Do not defy me. Besides, you are not joining any club, are you?"  
Hikari sighed and finally looked him in the eye.

"I´m not. But since you pry, I use that time to practice some more before heading home."  
She then returned to tugging helplessly at the stubborn piece of cloth, a small frown on her face. She didn't notice him walking behind her and leaning in, until a pair of slim hands with long fingers took the box from her, untied the knot, opened the bento box and placed it neatly back on her table.  
Hikari´s frown gone, she turned around in her chair and smiled warmly at him.

"It is only lunch break, and I already have a second chance to thank you for helping me. I must really look like a damsel in distress, especially when vile napkins decide to hold my lunch hostage. If you´ll excuse me, Akashi-kun, since you so nobly helped me to get to my food, I´m going to try my luck on eating it without more drama."  
Despite her clear dismissal, the boy didn´t leave. On the contrary, he approached her again, just as he did that morning, one step too close to be comfortable, using his menacing aura to give his words more weight. "Hikari. Go home."  
There was no reply, she seemed to be munching on her rice balls quite happily, completely ignoring him.  
"Hikari. I _am_ telling you to leave- it would be best if you obeyed and did so." If there wasn´t a warning edge to his voice before, there certainly was one now.  
Still no reply, though her green eyes rose to meet his, and she studied him with a thoughtful look on her face. Yet another light smile curved her lips, but the resolve in her expression was as absolute as Akashis´ order. "No," she said simply, in a voice so quiet only he could hear. "Are you defying me?" the red headed boy growled menacingly. "Why, _Akashi – kun_ , I am. Yes." Her answer was calm, and there wasn´t a trace of anger or any emotion other than cool confidence that he could hear or see from the way she handled herself. A moment later, the warm kindness he was slowly learning to associate with her returned to her eyes, as Hikari continued with noticeable weariness in her voice: "Listen, Akashi-kun, I truly can´t understand why you insist on me going home, but I believe we have just established that this option is a complete no-go. I won´t abandon my duties, no more than you would have done in my place." Again, she looked him straight in the eye without ever flinching. Even though he was slightly impressed, he still felt the need to show her where they stand, so he hissed: "Know your place, Hikari."  
Something flashed through her eyes, so quickly that he had trouble catching it, much less decipher what it was.  
"I do know my place, Akashi-kun. The question is… do you know yours?"  
" _Hikari…_ "  
"I meant no disrespect. Also, I´m sure that if you think about it for a bit, you´ll see what I meant very clearly."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **I am so very sorry for posting the next chapter so late. I just had my birthday last week and me, my family and my bf went to the mountains for ten days… and there was no cell reception, not to mention no internet connection. When I came back on Tuesday, everything was crazy at work and I somehow… didn'** **t find the time.  
As for the story: wakame is a type of seaweed commonly used in Japanese kitchen. Hikari hates it… and, surprise, Akashi doesn** **'** **t like wakame as well.**

Chapter 2: Tanzaki Ryōko

On Thursday morning, Hikari woke up before her alarm clock went off. Her heart already at her throat, she rushed through her morning routine erratically. "Young Mistress?" Her maid looked positively startled, as she watched Hikari storm into the kitchen, grabbing a piece of melon bread, stuffing it into her mouth and hastily waving her goodbyes. "Young Mistress! Your- your lunch!" The maid called, exasperated, out of the door the teenager left wide open. She got no answer- the girl already disappeared down the street, never even bothering with proper breakfast. The old maid shook her head, and a small smile appeared on her face. There was only one thing ever that could get the girl so worked up, when it came to school.

"Ichinose? What are you doing here? I was told not to expect you in P.E."  
The coach glared at the student, who used this opportunity to bow to him, and exclaimed, ever so formally: "Sensei! Please let me attend your classes!"  
"But the headmaster said… your piano, and your injury…"  
"Please, sensei! I am perfectly healthy, and my piano practice won´t be a problem. I have also talked to the headmaster, and he allowed me to attend!"  
"Well, Ichinose, if the headmaster says so… but, what about your shoulder injury?"  
Hikari straightened up, a guarded look on her face. "I assure you, coach, I´m fine. Though… if I might be so bold to ask, please do not discuss my injury any further."  
The coach only nodded, however, this exchange has had an effect on her classmates, who immediately began to shower her with suggestions.  
"Ichinose-san, if you are injured, then you really shouldn´t…"  
"Hey, Ichinose, if you feel any pain, just tell us, okay?"  
The amount of fuss about it was slowly draining Hikari´s patience. She wanted to get to exercising already, her body itching to get moving.  
"Hey, she says she´s fine, so she´s fine. Now get a move on, everybody, geez!"  
A girl with dark hair in a tight ponytail called out in a surprisingly deep voice. She wore rimless glasses, and behind them were piercing, purple eyes and she looked… downright bored. The bespectacled girl scoffed at the situation, and began running her laps in silence. Hikari watched her for a moment, before setting off as well, leaving the rest of the class trailing confusedly behind.  
On the other side of the court, where the boys had their P. E., a pair or mismatched eyes observed the whole scene.

Hikaris' next class was art, another one of those she added to her curriculum voluntarily. After briefly explaining her deal with the headmaster to the sensei, Hikari felt relieved not to be forced to relive a drama that would be similar to her appearance in P.E. As far as she was concerned, that was enough attention for the whole week.  
"All right, class, today we will be drawing portraits of each other. To make things more interesting, pair up with the person sitting behind you, instead of next to you. Fine, get working!" The noise of chairs being dragged on the ground as their owners turned to their partners drowned most of the hesitant conversation that ensued. Hikari turned in her seat to face the person behind her, only to find her to be the exact same girl with glasses that intervened during P.E.  
"So, Ichinose, seems we ended up together, huh? You have poor luck, my drawing skills are atrocious," the girl said. Hikari again noticed how deep her voice was, unexpectedly so for a high school student, and one as delicate-looking as her.  
"Oh don´t worry. Mine are not much better," smiled Hikari politely.  
"Please," scoffed her partner, "you wouldn´t have asked to participate in art classes if you sucked, Ichinose. What remains to be seen is how good you are, not whether you can draw at all or not." Her deep voice was tinged with the slightest note of annoyance.  
"Anyway, I don´t think I ever talked to you before. Name´s Tanzaki Ryōko," said Ryōko, and, much to Hikari´s surprise, extended a hand to shake hers.  
"Nice to meet you, Tanzaki-san. I´m Ichinose Hikari," replied Hikari, thinking about how odd it was for a Japanese girl to greet somebody so casually, and with a handshake.  
"Oh come on, drop the honorifics, I have little patience for those. Just Tanzaki is fine. Or, if that seems too long for you, you can just call me Ryōko."  
"Well, I don´t know you so well yet, Tanzaki-san, so calling you by your name without any honorific seemed rude."  
"Ichinose, for a girl who has spent so much time abroad, you are insufferably formal," said Ryōko, with her irritation now obvious, as she adjusted her glasses with the tips of her index and middle fingers.  
"Fine. I can call you Ryōko, if you will call me Hikari," said Hikari, with a sly smile.  
"Not anytime soon, Ichinose."  
"All right then, Tanzaki- _san_ , let me know if you change your mind."  
"Just get to drawing already, _Ichinose_."

All the while during drawing, Hikari felt uneasy, as if somebody watched her from behind. It was the same feeling she had the other morning while playing the piano. She tried to shake it off, focusing on her drawing instead, now working on the other girl´s jawline and the shadow that played just around the edge of it. "So, what was the deal with your shoulder injury in gym class today,"Tanzaki voiced the question more like a statement.  
It was the first time either of them spoke after a good half an hour of complete silence. "Hmm?" Hikari hummed distractedly, as she continued to work on her drawing with absolute concentration.  
"Oi, listen to me!"  
"Sorry, what did you say, Tanzaki-san?"  
"Geez. Scatterbrained much? I said, what was the deal about a shoulder injury? I never saw sensei hesitate before when someone asked him if they could exercise."  
"Ah, that." Hikari furrowed her brows and studied the other girl intently for a few moments.  
"I… was involved in a rather… nasty accident some time ago. It left me with an injured shoulder. The surgeons putting me back together were skilled indeed, so the only permanent handicap I retained is the inability to raise my right arm much more than shoulder level. Naturally, this all is written in great detail in my school records, so sensei knows. I guess that my record of a long hospital stay gave him a pause, is all."  
"I see."  
Hikari smiled to herself. She didn´t expect the other girl to push the topic further, and it seemed she was correct. As brash as Tanzaki appeared, Hikari felt comfortable around her.  
"How come you didn´t repeat the year then? You must have been sick for a long time, the way you describe it," asked Ryōko after another few minutes of silence.  
Hikari shrugged. "I passed some exams that were meant to test whether I can join my classmates in the same year or not. Turned out I didn't need to repeat a year or anything."  
"Uh-huh," was the only response of the bespectacled girl, who watched Hikari intently over the edges of her rimless glasses.  
Another long silence ensued. Hikari was just adding some finishing touches to her work – she didn´t need to study the other girl anymore, so she never noticed the pair of purple eyes watching her with a spark of interest. "Say, Ichinose, you are supposed to be some academics big shot, right?" Came another question, much as Hikari expected. She never heard Tanzaki Ryōko talk to anyone this much without getting angry or being downright rude, but for some reason the constant boredom in Tanzakis' purple eyes was almost gone now.  
"Hmm?" hummed Hikari, still consumed by her work.  
"Oi! Don´t get distracted again! I asked you something," exclaimed the black-haired girl with exasperation.  
"Ah, sorry about that," smiled Hikari.  
"Never mind. I wanted to know, just how smart are you?" Asked Ryōko bluntly.  
"I don´t know, really. I just have no trouble with school," came the reply.  
"Well, you´re not dumb then, that´s a start," murmured Ryōko to herself.  
"Any chance you know how to play shōgi, Ichinose?"  
Hikari put her pencil away at that, and eyed her partner curiously. A memory of the first morning at Rakuzan passed her mind, and she smiled.  
"I know the rules. I play sometimes with my brother, although I almost always lose," she replied.  
Hikari had no idea how much of an effect her reply would have- it was as though somebody flipped a light switch behind Tanzaki´s eyes. "Oh, great! Would you play with me during lunch break, then? Please!"  
Such a sudden change of attitude made Hikari chuckle. The other girl blushed slightly: "Well, I have nobody to play with. The only one who would even try is Suzuki, and he is thick as a brick."  
The constant feeling of being watched then reminded Hikari of something. "Tanzaki-san, Akashi-kun plays shōgi, right? He seemed to be pretty good, even. Why have you never tried to play him?"  
"He plays, huh?" Ryōko´s eyes flicked to the boy. He was sitting almost exactly behind Hikari, and she did notice him staring at her partner for the better part of the hour. As she quickly assessed him, she snorted with disgust. "I wouldn´t bother."  
Hikari frowned. "Why not?"  
At this, the dark-haired girl rolled her eyes: "Well, he´s an ass, obviously."

"Ryōko? Coming to the cafeteria?"  
"Bugger off, Suzuki, I have my own lunch. Rich losers like you need to buy those themselves."  
"A real ray of sunshine, as always, aren´t you," stated the blonde guy in a weary tone.  
It was just the beginning of lunch break, and Ryōko already had her shōgi board prepared, along with her bento. She was just rising up to her feet, expecting Hikari to follow, when the latter girl smiled. "It seems I´m a rich loser too, Tanzaki-san. I´ll go with Suzuki-kun to the cafeteria to get some lunch since I left mine at home, and catch up with you on the rooftop for our game?"  
Tanzaki shook her head, impatiently. "That won´t do, the cafeteria gets crowded. Come on, Ichinose, I´ll share my lunch with you. I always make more than I can eat, anyhow."  
"Tanzaki-san, are you sure?"  
"Yeah. How would you play with me, if you spent the majority of the lunch break in the queue with this idiot?"  
"You really shouldn´t be so rude to Suzuki-kun. That´s not something childhood friends should say about one another."  
"Huh? How did you know?"  
"A wild guess," Hikari smiled slyly.  
"Hey, you really aren´t dumb, are you? This is gonna be fun!"  
Without waiting for a reply, Tanzaki strode out of the classroom.  
"You´re really going to play that horrible game with her?"  
"Suzuki-kun, shōgi is not horrible. It´s a good mental exercise. Mind you, I guess I´m not very good. But I like a challenge, so we shall see."

"Tanzaki-san! This is delicious! Did you make it yourself?" beamed Hikari, as she munched away on her new friends' bento with a blissful expression in her cat-like face.  
"Uh-huh, I live by myself, so I also cook for myself, too. Hey, I have some tofu salad on the side, too. Want some, Ichinose?"  
"Does it have wakame in it?"  
"Um, yeah."  
"Then no thank you, but it´s kind of you to offer, Tanzaki-san."  
"Don´t like wakame?"  
"Detest it, actually."  
"Too slimy?"  
"Yeah."  
For a moment there was nothing but the sound of occasional chopstick clacking against another, as the two ate Ryōko´s lunch in peace. It was a sunny day, a perfect one for being outside. Hikari just closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun, enjoying the food and thinking about how comfortable the presence of the bespectacled girl felt, when the latter broke the silence. "Ichinose, you´re not gonna pester me with questions about me living alone?"  
Hikari opened one green eye and glanced at Ryōko briefly, before returning to her sunbathing with a Cheshire cat-like smile on her face. "Nope."  
"Color me impressed. Most other girls would have, Ichinose."  
"You didn´t seem to want to share the information. You changed the topic quickly, never came back to it, and your expression shifted slightly. Also, your shoulders tensed."  
"Really? I always thought my body language was minimal."  
"Please, Tanzaki-san. It was screaming to my face," replied Hikari, a sardonic tone to her voice.  
Tanzaki laughed, and then leaned back on her arms, mimicking Hikari´s pose. "Still, though, aren´t you curious?" she drawled lazily, as the warmth slowly began to spread from her face to the rest of her body. The sun was warm that day indeed.  
"Very much so! I´m dying to know all your secrets, Tanzaki-san, to use them against you and to tell every other girl in the class! Make no mistake," replied Hikari teasingly.  
"Seriously, Ichinose. I wasn´t trying to be melodramatic. I was just curious myself, I guess."  
"Oh? Is that so?"  
"Yeah. You are not the perfect, sweet and uptight girl everybody seems to think you are… at least for now they do, anyway. That is actually surprising. Why are you hiding in the open like this?"  
"I am not. I´m just polite to others, because I wouldn´t like them to treat me any differently than I treat them. It wouldn´t be fair."  
"So, am I unfair?"  
"No, you´re just scared and easily annoyed - I just think you genuinely want to be left alone. So, to answer your question properly: I am curious about the reason why you live alone. I simply hope you will tell me on your own accord, when the time comes."  
"You know me for what, three hours now? Two of which we actually talked. How can you be so sure of your judgment of me? I could be a total freak for all you know."  
Hikari laughed softly at that. Ryōko opened her eyes to look at the other girl, to find her sitting across her with her legs crossed, watching her intently. There was something unsettling about the way Hikari looked at her with those soft green eyes of hers. It felt as though she could see right to Ryōko´s core, taking whatever information she desired without effort.  
"Huh, you´re scary, creepy-eyes," Ryōko mumbled, crossing her arms on her chest.  
Hikari blinked, turning back to her smiling, pleasant self once again. "Sorry, I like to try and figure people out. It is often enough to observe them to get a general idea. When you do it for long enough, you know what to look for." She smiled once again. This girl was really smiley, Ryōko noted. It was her usual expression, though it seemed to tell a different thing every time. "I don´t think you´re a freak, Tanzaki-san."  
"Well, that can come as a surprise. I sure pulled my "charms" on you from the beginning. I expected you to be all polite and quietly hope not to talk to me again."  
"Which, if I were the type of person you guessed me to be, would be what you would have preferred," completed the thought Hikari in a matter-of-fact tone.  
"Yeah."  
Another brief silence, before Ryōko broke it yet again.  
"So, tell me: you are gaining a very pleasant image. Why show me you are not just the polite girl everybody sees? It could lead to gossip that you are actually some kind of a scheming maniac, you know how high school works."  
"I do, though I placed my bets on two things: one, that you would figure out that I am no scheming maniac, and two: you don´t really gossip. Suzuki-kun probably doesn´t, too, because he wants to impress you."  
"W-what?" Ryōko blushed furiously.  
"Oh, nothing. Sorry. You know each other well, so naturally, you would have taken a page from each other´s book, is all I wanted to say, really."  
"Me? Taking anything from that careless guy? Like hell I would."  
"Oh, of course you wouldn´t, what a foolish idea did I have," mocked Hikari.  
Almost against her own will, Ryōko found herself smiling, too.  
"So you decided to trust me from the start, if I sum it up," she said after a while.  
"Yes," was Hikaris' simple reply.  
"It could have turned against you pretty quick."  
"Sure, only it didn´t."  
"You are naïve."  
"At times," came another smiley answer.  
Ryōko shook her head. Both of them resumed their basking in the sunlight, not speaking for a long time. This was certainly new for Ryōko, because not even Suzuki, her childhood friend, made her relax so much. This new girl was something else. And to be friends with a girl who has a reputation for being sweet and docile and is actually getting somewhat popular, right off the bat- it baffled Ryōko to no end. Wait, friends? Is it what she already classifies this to be?  
"I guess we are friends now, nee, Ryōko?" Asked Hikari.  
"Very creepy, Hikari! I was just… thinking about it!"  
"Ha-ha, me too. It´s rather odd this worked out so well, but I guess it´s settled."  
"I suppose so."  
"I hope you don´t mind me not caring for the honorifics that much. I have been living outside Japan for a while, and it´s quite tiring."  
To that, Ryōko only grunted.

"Well, that was embarrassing enough," said Ryōko after a while, and stretched her arms. "So, since we are now buddies and all… tell me, why has that Akashi not let his eyes off of you during art class?"  
"So it was him, huh?" Hikari murmured.  
"What?"  
"I just had a feeling I am being watched."  
"So you were. Any idea why?"  
After a short hesitation, Hikari replied: "None."  
"Thought so. He´s an ass, all right…"  
"I don´t think that´s really the issue with him."  
"Well then, what is?"  
"… nothing simple."

The first bell announcing last fifteen minutes of lunch break didn´t leave Ryōko much time to ponder her new friend´s cryptic answer.  
"I guess we´ll play shōgi tomorrow, right?"  
"Yeah. Prepare to have your ass handed to you, Hikari!"  
"Oh I´m definitely not going down without a fight!" Smiled Hikari. They packed the bento and unused shōgi board, and left for their next class.


End file.
